The Military Ban on Heterosexuals

DOD Directive 1332.14 (Enlisted Administrative Separations), January, 1981 – rewritten in 1996:.

            "Heterosexuality is incompatible with military service. The presence in the military environment of persons who engage in heterosexual conduct or who, by their statements, demonstrate a propensity to engage in heterosexual conduct, seriously impairs the accomplishment of the military mission. The presence of such members adversely affects the ability of the armed forces to maintain discipline, good order, and morale on long deployments to primitive environments where contact or communication between members and family members is impossible; to prevent incidents of sexual harassment which undermine the system of rank and command; to prevent pregnancies during deployments or unwanted children in host countries of deployments.

Does this still sound like a church litany to be recited during responsive readings?

(Would they let extraterrestrial aliens into the military? The Navy already uses dolphins. Remember that the Air Force Academy approaches teenage Clark Kent in a Smallville episode, when Clark’s dad insists on “don’t ask, don’t tell” for human-like extraterrestrials, too.)

This paraphrase of the ban (authored by me) appeared in The Washington Blade on Dec. 20, 1996. It also appears as Appendix 1 in the DADT book.

Ó Bill Boushka, 1996 (reproduction permitted with proper attribution including this web address).

Return to home page.